Harris Miller: Crime Victim for Real?

Not Larry Sabato talked about the potential crime involving Miller's Republican contributions made through ITAA PAC.  In the discussion it is pointed out that the crime would be on the part of ITAA executives and Harris Miller would be the victim.

In the article NLS references, the journalist edited a key word from "forced" to "urged."

But yesterday Miller said "suggested" and "had to" in  The Winchester Star.

+óGé¼+ôAs head of an organization which is bipartisan, it was suggested to me by some of my board members, because I was a visible Democrat and because I was so active a Democrat, that I needed once in awhile to show my bipartisanship,+óGé¼-¥ Miller said.

+óGé¼+ôIn my professional life, I had to write a couple of checks, but at the end of the day, Jim Webb was out there attacking (former Virginia Democratic Senator) Chuck Robb, attacking Bill Clinton,+óGé¼-¥ he added.

Sure, there are plenty of bipartisan PACs.  I only looked at ITAA PAC contributions for a few years, and it leaned Republican. But this PAC was hardly on the scale of ITAA member company PACs, and Miller was the primary contributor, although one of his fellow employees made repeated contributions and may be a crime victim as well.

So the question is this: If Harris Miller "had to" write a few checks, shouldn't the ITAA be investigated along the lines of MZM?  Several MZM employees got their money back.  And Virgil Goode donated a large amount of the cash he received from MZM to local charities like animal shelters.

Even if the victim happens to be Harris Miller, legislators should not be allowed to benefit from coerced contributions.  That's one of the many things we are fighting against, and organizations that coerce contributions should be held accountable.  Did Harris Miller report those board members to the authorities?

Victim or not, Miller's other claims require clarification. Miller's past Democratic activism often got him into hot water and his Republican activism certainly raised a few eyebrows.

Miller has a pattern of accusing others of his own behavior, and indeed Miller made a public statement where he went as far as to threaten Clinton with consequences.

Miller was furious about this, and stated, "If the president continues to stand in the way of this bill, he will face a terrible backlash."

"To come in at the eleventh hour with nickel-and-dime complaints about this bill will leave a bad taste in the mouths of Silicon Valley executives."

The consequences of that backlash there are pretty significant when you're talking about throwing the support of the very lifeblood of the "New Economy" to Bush and the Republicans going into a critical Presidential election.

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